Sonny side up: they grew up in the political world of their fathers and made their mark elsewhere. Meet the young chaps who have returned to take on the family mantle

He considers Rahul Gandhi to be the true torch bearer of the Congress culture and wants to follow in the Gandhi scion's footsteps. Meet Vikramaditya Singh, son of Virbhadra Singh, who resigned as Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises on Tuesday.

But, Vikramaditya has no plans to don the khadi kurta pyjama just yet. 'Not as of now,' he said. It perhaps makes sense. Only 22, he has time on his side.

Vikramaditya wants to tour the state and feel the pulse of the people before launching himself into the dirty world of politics.

Vikramaditya (centre) is the son of Virbhadra Singh and the youngest Youth Congress leader

'I want to enter active politics in the future. We want to fight corrupt practices and will leave no stone unturned to keep the BJP, which has just cheated the people in the name of development, out of power,' Vikramaditya said.

Anurag Thakur, his father's arch rival in the BJP and the son of Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, has beaten Vikramaditya to politics.

Thakur is already a Lok Sabha member from Hamirpur and is also the president of the youth wing of the BJP. But, Vikramaditya is unperturbed. He and Thakur will probably inherit the rivalry of their famous fathers in state politics. And Vikramaditya is game for it.

He sees the BJP's hand in the framing of corruption charges against his father in a 23-year-old case and said he would fight to expose this.

'This case is nothing but a clear example of political vendetta unleashed by Prem Kumar Dhumal. It is a desperate attempt by the BJP government to cling on to power keeping in mind the assembly elections later this year,' he said.

Vikramaditya is confident that his father will come clean and lead the Congress to victory in the elections. 'The BJP is indulging in cheap and dirty politics to keep my father out of power .Whenever there are elections, they indulge in mudslinging .

'This is not first time that they have shown their ugly face,' he said. Vikramaditya claimed that false cases had been registered against his father earlier too.

'Even in the Sagar Katha jobs scam case my father was blamed. But, he was later acquitted. We will fight this case politically and legally. We will go to the public and tell them the truth,' Vikramaditya said. He said his father resigned from the union cabinet on moral grounds because he was a true Congressman.

'My father wanted to avoid any embarrassment to the government and the party and so he quit,' Vikramaditya said. Born in 1989, he went to Shimla's famous Bishop Cotton School.

Virbhadra Singh: His son claims the corruption charges filed against his father were indicative of a BJP vendetta

After passing out in 2007, he studied B.A. history honours from Delhi University's Hans Raj College. He currently runs a non-governmental organisation called the Himachal Pradesh Sports, Culture and Environment Association (HPSCEA).

Besides organising cricket and volleyball tournaments, the HPSCEA also takes up cultural and environmental issues.

The NGO plans to launch an awareness campaign in the state about water and environment pollution. Vikramaditya contested the Himachal Youth Congress president elections in November 2011 and was even declared the winner.

He became the youngest Youth Congress leader by defeating his nearest rival, Raghubir Singh, whose father G.S. Bali is Virbhadra's rival. But, his feat was overturned as the election was declared null and void.

He had allegedly violated the model code of conduct and Vikramaditya was barred from contesting the polls. A shooter of repute, Vikramaditya has represented the state at the national level and even won a bronze medal at a trap shooting competition in 2007. He now plans to use his keen eye to take a shot at politics and keep the BJP at bay.

NARA LOKESH NAIDU

BY A. SRINIVASA RAO IN HYDERABAD

If the developments in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are any indication, the political party is all set to get a brand new, young face.

Nara Lokesh Naidu, the industrialistson of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and party president N. Chandrababu Naidu is about to make a formal entry into politics.

The party chief has been receiving several requests from party leaders and cadres belonging to different parts of the state, requesting him to bring 32-year-old Lokesh into active politics in order to rejuvenate party cadres.

Industrialist Nara Lokesh Naidu (left) is the son of TDP President Chandrababu Naidu (right)

Naidu has been holding meetings with party leaders from the assembly constituencies which went to by-elections on June 12 to review the reasons for the party's debacle. Majority of the leaders expressed the view that the party needed a young face to take on the YSR Congress party headed by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

At a review meeting in Rayachoti and Railway Koduru constituencies on Tuesday, party leaders told Naidu: 'The only way to give a fresh look to the party is to bring in Lokesh and entrust him with key responsibilities.

Similarly, TDP leaders and workers from the Chandragiri constituency submitted a representation to Naidu, asking him to appoint Lokesh the president of Telugu Yuvatha, the party's youth wing.

Interestingly, the TDP chief received these representations with a smile minus any comment - unlike in the past, when he used to clearly tell the cadres that Lokesh would be confined to his business activities.

After the recent by-elections, he gave a hint on his son's possible entry into politics, saying that Lokesh had been assisting him in taking some decisions and was also giving suggestions on the party strategies.

He, however, did not disclose when he would bring Lokesh into politics.

According to party sources, Naidu is planning to involve Lokesh in party activities gradually, rather than pushing him into the limelight.

He is thinking of launching a statewide cycle yatra in which Lokesh would take up an active part. He would, in fact, lead the rally to highlight the problems faced by the people. It would give him an opportunity to register his identity among the people, especially the youth.

Once he gets due recognition in the yatra, Naidu would appoint him the state youth wing president, sources said. 'Lokesh has been playing a behind-the-scene role in the party.

He has perfect understanding of the present-day politics and the problems faced by people.

His entry into politics would definitely give a new look to the party and help attract the youth,' TDP official spokesman Varla Ramaiah said.

SALMAN ANEES SOZ

BY NASEER GANAI IN BUDGAM

He doesn't have the good looks of Omar Abdullah. Nor can he match the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister's pedigree, who is the son of Farooq Abdullah and grandson of Sheikh Abdullah, the Sher-e-Kashmir.

But, Salman Anees Soz, son of J&K Congress chief Saifuddin Soz, is widely expected to go the Omar way and join politics as he is 'here to stay'.

'Now I am here to stay and I am not going anywhere,' the bespectacled Salman who looks more like an academic, said. Although he hasn't so far declared that he will follow in his father's footsteps, people feel it is only a matter of time before he plunges into politics.

Salman Anees Soz (left) is the son of J&K Congress Chief Saifuddin Soz (right), and has worked at the World Bank for 13 years

Having returned to Kashmir in January after 18 years in the US, where he worked with the World Bank for 13 years, Salman is already keenly involved in social service and environmental conservation as he wants 'to give something back to the society.'

'My mother told me there is nothing to do in Kashmir. Nothing will change here. Things don't move here. But I told her there are places much bigger than J&K where things have changed for the good,' he said while addressing a conference on good governance and panchayati raj organised by the Jammu and Kashmir RTI Forum and the Gandhi Smriti in this picturesque tourist town some 80 km south west of Srinagar.

'Kashmir, too, will change and I am optimistic about that,' he told the over 300 panch and sarpanches who had gathered there from different districts of the state.

'I will visit your villages and learn from your experience. There is despondency in the air but at the same time there is hope,' he said at the conference.

This was the first time that Salman was seen addressing a gathering. Former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, writer A.G. Noorani, social activist Aruna Roy and independent MLA Engineer Rashid also addressed the conference. Salman has a masters degree in economics from Northeastern University in the US and did MBA from Yale University. Before he left India, Salman studied economics honours from St Stephen's College in New Delhi.

For 13 years he worked at different positions in the World Bank. Soon after his return to the Valley, Salman said he went to the G.B Pant Children's hospital in Srinagar where over 1,100 children have died since January last year.

'The G.B. Pant hospital is in a bad shape. I have not seen such conditions in a hospital even in an African country,' Salman said. Recalling an incident at the hospital, he said he 'saw a child being shifted from the ICU to the general ward to die. I saw the helplessness in the father's eyes and I could not do anything. I know the hospital authorities left the child to die. It was a sad day, very sad day. But things can be changed for the better.'

Striking an emotional chord with the members and heads of panchayats, Salman said people should strive hard for excellence. 'Only Saifuddin Soz's son, Farooq Abdullah's son or Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's daughter don't have the right to dream in Kashmir.

Every child here should aspire to become anything, from an official to the prime minister of this country,' he said.

As for the Kashmir issue, Salman said everybody is of the view that unless the issue is resolved, things will not improve. 'More than 60 years have already gone by. We cannot wait for a solution to set things right.

Nobody knows how much more time it will take to resolve the issue. So things have to move on. Let us concentrate on education, health and improve things, he appealed.

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Sonny side up: they grew up in the political world of their fathers and made their mark elsewhere. Meet the young chaps who have returned to take on the family mantle